BUS7001D

Managing Within a Competitive

Environment

Part 2: Report

Date for Submission: Please refer to the timetable on ilearn

The submission portal on ilearn will close at 14.00 UK time on the

date of submission

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materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Assignment Brief

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a
Managing in a Competitive Environment report. Please refer to your Student
Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general
information on preparing and submitting assignments.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1) Analyse an organisation’s competitive, external environment using appropriate

models.

2) Critically evaluate decision making methodologies.

3) Critically evaluate the value of published financial information to stakeholders.

4) Respond to stakeholder influences on an organisation.

5) Incorporate risk and uncertainty in applying decision making methodologies.

6) Use financial information to evaluate an organisation’s strategic performance.

7) Professional Skills: Perform effectively within the professional environment. Work

within a team, demonstrating interpersonal skills such as effective listening,
negotiating, persuading and presentation. Be flexible and adaptable to changes
within the professional environment.

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Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the
module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted
document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in AU Harvard system(s).
You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please
note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University
operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the
identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.

Maximum word count: 3,000 words

Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies
section here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework

Please note the following:

Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the
assessment.

The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in
text citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables,
figures, diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. ALL other printed
words ARE included in the word count.

Please note that exceeding the word count by over 10% will result in a 10-percentage
point deduction.

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Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Assignment Task - Report

This assignment is worth 60% of the total marks for the module. You should
select one of the following two options.

Option 1

This option requires that you consider a decision or strategic initiative made by an
organisation of your choice. It may be the same or different to that in Part 1.

This option requires that you evaluate the ways in which financial and other data was
used in making the strategic decision. You should:

• consider elements such as: the financial and competitive position of the firm,
information relating to the external environment, data collection; reliability; and
risk factors.
(50 marks)
(LO1, LO3, LO5, LO6)

• consider relevant strategic models used in making the decision.

(30 marks)
(LO2, LO5)

• also consider how the exercise might be improved if repeated.

(20 marks)
(LO2, LO6)

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Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Option 2

If you do not have access to the internal workings of an organisation’s decision

processes, then you should, from the perspective of a shareholder, critically evaluate
a specific decision made by a business organisation. You should:

• consider matters such as: the financial and competitive position of the firm in the
period leading up to the decision; information relating to the external
environment; the rationale for the decision, the associated risk factors, and the
expected results.
(50 marks)
(LO1, LO3, LO5)

• consider the value of the key information, theories and models that you have
used to evaluate the decision.
(30 marks)
(LO2, LO3, LO5)

• critically evaluate the outcome of the decision in terms of the performance of the
firm relative to its main competitors.
(20 marks)
(LO2, LO6)

This Task will be submitted into the ‘Submit Report’ submission port in iLearn.

(100 marks)
(3,000 words)

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Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Formative Feedback

You can submit a plan to receive formative feedback. This should identify the initiatives
being considered and a one-page explanation of how you will address the tasks.

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you
develop your skills as an independent learner.

If you are a distance learning student, you should submit your work, by email, to your
tutor, no later than 2 weeks before the actual submission deadline. If you are a blended
learning student, your tutor will give you a deadline for formative feedback and further
details.

Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date or the date
specified by your tutor - if a blended learning student

Referencing Guidance

You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate
and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU
Harvard system(s).

Follow this link to find the referencing guides for your subject: Arden Library

Submission Guidance

Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0%

fail.

Your assessment should be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file. For
more information please see the “Submitting an Assignment - Guide” document
available on the A-Z key information on iLearn.

You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all
sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show
evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is available
on the A-Z key information on iLearn.)

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Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
 Page 7 of 9
[380]
Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about the
use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
 Assessment Criteria (Learning objectives covered - all)

Level 7 is characterised by an expectation of students’ expertise in their specialism. Students are semi-autonomous, demonstrating independence in the negotiation
of assessment tasks (including the major project) and the ability to evaluate, challenge, modify and develop theory and practice. Students are expected to
demonstrate an ability to isolate and focus on the significant features of problems and to offer synthetic and coherent solutions, with some students producing original
or innovative work in their specialism that is potentially worthy of publication by Arden University. A clear appreciation of ethical considerations (as appropriate) is also
a prerequisite.
Mark
Grade Generic Assessment Criteria
Bands
Excellent analysis of key issues and concepts/. Excellent development of conceptual structures and argument, making consistent use of
scholarly conventions. Excellent research skills, independence of thought, an extremely high level of intellectual rigour and consistency,
Distinction 70%+ exceptional expressive / professional skills, and substantial creativity and originality.
Excellent academic/intellectual skills. Work pushes the boundaries of the discipline and demonstrates an awareness of relevant ethical
considerations. Work may be considered for publication by Arden university
Very good level of competence demonstrated. High level of theory application. Very good analysis of key issues and concepts.
Merit 60-69% Development of conceptual structures and argument making consistent use of scholarly conventions. Some evidence of original thought
and a general awareness of relevant ethical considerations
A satisfactory to good performance. Basic knowledge of key issues and concepts. Generally descriptive, with restricted analysis of existing
scholarly material and little argument development. Use of scholarly conventions inconsistent. The work lacks original thought. Some
Pass 50-59%
awareness of relevant ethical considerations.
Satisfactory professional skills (where appropriate).
Limited research skills impede use of learning resources and problem solving.
Marginal Significant problems with structure/accuracy in expression. Very weak academic / intellectual / professional skills.
40-49%
Fail Limited use of scholarly conventions.
Errors in expression and the work may lack structure overall.

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Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups),
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means, including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about the use and distribution of
programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
 A poor performance in which there are substantial gaps in knowledge and understanding, underpinning theory and ethical considerations.
Little evidence of research skills, use of learning resources and problem solving.
39% and Major problems with structure/ accuracy in expression.
Fail
below Professional skills not present.
Very weak academic / intellectual / professional skills.
No evidence of use of scholarly conventions

Page 9 of 9
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Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups),
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means, including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about the use and distribution of
programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.